The Nook Retailer, which has been one among New York Metropolis’s most buzzed about eating places since its SoHo debut in September 2024, is heading to Las Vegas. Observer has confirmed that Eugene Remm, Tilman Fertitta and Catch Hospitality Group have signed a deal to open the second location of The Nook Retailer in 2026 at a luxurious casino-resort on the Strip.
And whereas many operators change their model and create new ideas in Las Vegas, Remm (who’s had Catch at Aria in Las Vegas since 2018) fortunately is aware of what his wheelhouse is.
“I do know what I’m good at,” Remm tells Observer. “I do know what I’m not good at. I’m not good at reveals and dances and something like that. So what I’m good at and what our group goes to be targeted on is bringing precisely what we do at The Nook Retailer to Las Vegas. Culinary-wise, nothing’s totally different.”
At coronary heart, The Nook Retailer is an upscale new tackle a basic American joint. Crowd-pleasing dishes from culinary director Michael Vignola at The Nook Retailer embody Caesar salad, spinach artichoke dip, mini lobster rolls, a wagyu French dip, steak frites and a riff on Totino’s pizza rolls.
“New York was prepared for a basic American grill,” Remm says.”It was prepared for one thing that wasn’t stuffed with a bunch of fusion and wasn’t stuffed with a bunch of phrases that they will’t pronounce and was merely simply basic American delicacies.”
On the identical time, The Nook Retailer desires to raise acquainted meals, so its lobster rolls are topped with caviar and its habit-forming five-cheese pizza rolls are full of ricotta, raclette, Parmesan, taleggio and mozzarella alongside pepperoni, ’nduja and jalapeño. There’s housemade ranch and sizzling honey on the aspect.
“We do all the things from scratch,” Remm says. “We do it each single day. There’s nothing frozen on the complete menu. Nothing is completed for economies of scale.”
In New York, The Nook Retailer is a comfy 75-seat restaurant the place Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter lately dined collectively. In Las Vegas, there will probably be twice as a lot seating. However as Remm factors out, that is nonetheless considerably smaller than huge Las Vegas eating places like Catch, and he is aware of that it’s vital to protect The Nook Retailer’s vibe.
“The one distinction, I might say, is that as a substitute of simply having an incredible martini program at one bar, we’re making a second bar that’s framed as a specialty martini bar,” Remm says.
Given the recognition of The Nook Retailer’s martini service in New York, Las Vegas guests will doubtless be lining up in droves to attempt all the things from chamomile vespers to bitter cream and onion martinis.
Remm is on an enlargement tear, however he’s specializing in smaller eating places general. In September, he opened The Eighty Six, a 35-seat West Village steakhouse within the historic former Chumley’s area. He’s planning to debut a 75-seat Mediterranean restaurant with chef Nadav Greenberg in SoHo, throughout the road from The Nook Retailer, early subsequent 12 months.
“I feel the world desires smaller areas, extra intimate experiences,” Remm says. “That’s the place we’re at. I need to do extra singular ideas, and I need to do all of them in New York, and I need to stroll to work daily, and I need to develop eating places with my group right here in our workplace on 14th Road.”
Remm has no plans to increase The Nook Retailer past Las Vegas.
“I don’t imagine that The Nook Retailer ought to be replicated throughout the nation, and I feel I need to deal with distinctive single-store places,” he says.
However he says he’s making an exception as a result of he discovered a particular alternative in Las Vegas, the place The Nook Retailer will be a part of distinguished new eating places like Cote, Carbone Riviera, Gymkhana and the forthcoming Sartiano’s.
“I really like what’s taking place in Las Vegas,” Remm says. “I would like extra nice eating places coming to Las Vegas. I’m thrilled with all of it. Las Vegas is the subsequent logical step for The Nook Retailer, and we’re going to unapologetically deliver The Nook Retailer expertise in New York to Vegas.”
